Wildfire: Book Two of the Everealm Series

by J. D. Wright

  Dagan tried everything he could think of to put out the fire. Water didn’t work fast enough so he tried to summon air magic at the same time, hoping to place a wet blanket of air over the fire and snuff it out. That might have worked had he had the strength to hold the air down long enough.

  Not only did he have to worry about the raging fire but he also had swords randomly flying at his head every few moments. Sire’s troops were able to spot him easily because of his bright hair, but there wasn’t time to worry about changing the color of it now. Rowan rode up alongside him for a moment and tossed him a small dagger, which he hoped he wouldn’t have to use.

  “I’ll try to keep them away from you!” Rowan shouted, swinging his blade at one of Sire’s soldiers. Another horse came charging at Dagan and with Rowan occupied by the first soldier, Dagan threw his arm out to the side and shot out bolts of lightning. The lightning hit the man’s armor and flowed through the metal, burning his body. Another soldier rode up to attack and Dagan had to turn away from the fire and focus on fighting the soldiers alongside Rowan instead. The scene was eerily similar to when he and Rowan were attacked in the throne room of Sire just months before.

  The clanking of metal against metal was barely noticeable with the sound of the raging wildfire. The firestorm was growing in height and in strength.

  By the time Sidonie made it to where Dagan and the Junacave guard were fighting, the darkness had taken over the sky. Blue fire was in every direction. Torches lit along the southern wall of the castle grounds were the only indication of how close they were. Soon, the fire would cross the last hill and lay waste to the tall walls. Even stone would burn by wildfire. There was simply no manmade object that could contain it.

  She rode as fast as she could to get in front of the fire. The flames were pushing the guard back toward her and the castle. She dismounted and slapped her horse, sending it fleeing away from her. If she couldn’t save anyone or anything else, she wouldn’t subject the poor horse to this certain death.

  The flames rose up the hill, scorching the ground as it crawled toward her. She put her arms out in front of her and summoned water magic. Streams of crystal clear water flew out of her palms and shot toward the fire. It hit the flames and sizzled, causing steam to rise up with the smoke. It slowed the fire, but it didn’t extinguish it.

  “Ice, Sidonie! Use ice!” she heard Dagan shouting from somewhere in the distance. It was too dark to tell exactly where he was.

  She summoned water magic again, only this time she envisioned the frosty mountaintops in Vale. The water coming out of her hands turned cold and instead of a steady stream of liquid, tiny shards of snow flew out and into the fire.

  It was working. The fire immediately in front of her was starting to become smaller. She turned to her left and used the magic to suppress the flames. But by the time she made any progress on that side, the fire on the opposite side of the hill was roaring again. Horses flew by her in every direction. Edmund stood behind her with a sword in his hand to ward off anyone who tried to get close to her.

  Sidonie caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head to the right but kept her magic concentrated in front of her. From the light of the fire, she could see a man in dark robes, walking toward her.

  The wizard.

  She held one hand on the flames and moved the other one to the side, ready to strike at Mereck. Only the wizard wasn’t even looking at her. He was walking behind her. He was walking straight to Edmund. She flung her arm behind her and shot out a bolt of lightning.

  He was too quick. He used air magic to send the lightning off in a different direction. Then he lifted his hand and used the same air magic to knock Sidonie off of her feet. She flew sideways and landed several feet away from where she started. Dagan ran up to her and knelt to the ground.

  “Are you alright?” he said, breathless.

  “I’m fine. Dagan, your father,” she said, pointing. Mereck was attacking Edmund, but Edmund had no magic and no way to defend himself other than with his sword. Edmund was able to dodge Mereck’s magic once, but he might not be so lucky the second time. Dagan started toward his father. Sidonie tried to grab his arm but missed.

  “No, Dagan. Wait!” she exclaimed. “It’s about to close!” But he was too far away to hear her now. The two sides of the fire were just feet from reaching each other. Dagan ran through the divide just before it closed putting a wall between him and Sidonie.

  Bree couldn’t believe her eyes. The fire had reached the outer wall of the grounds. The stone started to crumble and fall to the dirt below. The barracks and stables were just north of that wall. If something didn’t happen soon, the wildfire would destroy them. Then there would be nothing between it and the castle walls.

  Sarita saw the blue flames reaching the top of the wall and screamed. Bree heard footsteps behind her and saw Dahlia running onto the balcony followed by Rhea and Gabrielle. Bree had forgotten for a moment that Reeve was down there, too. Gabby looked terrified and Rhea looked ready to be sick.

  “It will be alright,” Bree said. “They will be alright.” Even though she convinced herself that she was saying it to make the others feel better, she really needed to hear the words just as much. Not only were the men that they loved down there, but so were animals and crops. If the wildfire took the castle, the village on the other side would fall victim shortly after. The heart of her entire kingdom would be destroyed.

  In the firestorm, Dagan spun around but he couldn’t see Edmund. The wind had created so many different patches of blue fire that it was a maze inside. He ran to the left, but flames blocked his path so he turned around and ran in the opposite direction.

  Sidonie was losing control of her magic. From the second Dagan disappeared behind the flames, the worry and the dread took over her body. Her breaths became heaves of smoke-filled air that burned her throat and stung her eyes. She forced herself to stand and ran toward the fire but stopped when a hand on her shoulder startled her. Edmund was standing behind her.

  “Where did you come from?” she shouted as the wind blew all around her.

  “I found my way out. I can save him. Unseal my magic. I can save him!”

  “I don’t know how!”

  “Imagine you are giving me a gift. A gift of magic.”

  Sidonie didn’t hesitate. She reached out and put her hand on Edmund’s chest. She visualized handing him a present, wrapped in a small red box. Edmund stumbled back and lost his breath for a moment, then he ran back toward the way he came.

  She heard Dagan shout. Panic overcame her. He was dying, she knew it. He was being burned alive by the fire that she was supposed to stop. She was the Elder Mage. She had the power and she was the only one who could use it. She was the only one who could save all of them.

  What am I supposed to do? I don’t know what to do. Someone, please tell me. Anyone? Mother?

  Something took over her body. She dropped to the ground on her hands and knees. Her muscles stiffened and her skin went cold. She couldn’t think but could only feel as the magic in her blood started to build. She sat up and looked at the fire. She couldn’t explain it, but somehow she knew exactly what to do. Summoning ice again, she lifted her hands and released the magic that had been building. A blast of magical ice and snow shot out of her palms. The force was so great that is caused her knees and legs to slide backward on the grass below her. It only took her a moment to gain enough control that she could aim. Then she stood.

  She started with the fire in front of her and moved her arms back and forth while she walked forward and obliterated every flame in her path. The fire had grown so large that it would take too long to extinguish this way, so she stopped shooting the magic out. She opened a terra circle and let it build. Instead of being surrounded by light, the air around her filled with shards of ice and snow, just waiting for her cue. She waited until the magic in her body felt like it was about to burst.

  When she released
, the magic exploded out from her and flew through the air. Crystals of ice, snow, and freezing cold air spread out, covering the fire and beyond.

  Bree saw something bright and white flying toward them.

  “Get down!” she shouted and everyone ducked behind the balcony. The blast of air that hit them was cold and left their skin tingling as they stood back up and looked out on the dark horizon. The blue flames were gone.

  Sidonie had never felt so amazing in all of her life. Even sex with Dagan was nothing compared to this. She was connected to the land and her magic in a way that she could never fully explain in words. She surveyed the land around her. Even though the sun was long gone, the sky was lit by tiny flakes of magical light, what was left behind after the wildfire was extinguished. The flakes floated around her.

  She spotted Edmund at the bottom of the hill. He was kneeling on the ground beside Dagan. She ran to him and collapsed by his side. He was alive and awake, but his arm was broken.

  “I fell,” he said, “when the blast came through. It wasn’t caused by magic so it can be healed.”

  “Heal him,” Sidonie said, looking at Edmund. “I have someone else to deal with.”

  She stood and looked around, but she didn’t search with her eyes, she searched with her magic. She spotted him, just on the other side of the hill. He was moving fast in the opposite direction. He was trying to flee. She summoned air magic and stopped him in his tracks. Then she went to him.

  He was still immobile when she approached him. His long blonde hair that had been flying as he ran was frozen in mid-air. His eyes followed her as she walked around to face him.

  “So you’re the one causing so much trouble for the realm,” she said. “Abusing magic, using it to destroy rather than create. It’s a terrible waste of your gifts.”

  Even if he wanted to reply, he couldn’t have. She was actually enjoying this. Having the power to make him listen, to make him pay attention. Perhaps, this new access to magic was changing her.

  “The previous Elder Mage prohibited the use of wildfire, and so do I. However, since I had not declared wildfire as forbidden before now, I will not kill you. But I cannot let you continue to use your magic.”

  Just like before, she knew exactly what to do. She wouldn’t seal his magic because he could always try to convince the next Elder Mage to unseal it. It would give him a reason to want her dead. Instead, she would take his magic away, completely.

  She raised her right arm up and used air magic to put a tighter squeeze around Mereck. Then she focused on his chest. Every time his blood pumped through his heart she sucked the magic from it. A stream of sparkly light flowed out of his chest and into her palm. As his magic poured into her, she funneled it through her body and into the ground. Magic came from the land, after all, so it seemed only fitting to return it to there.

  As she drained his magic, she looked into his eyes. Rage began to build up inside her. This wizard had tried to kill everyone she loved. He destroyed the Sabra’s homes and put her sister in danger. He attacked Taten and Labara, who were completely innocent in all of this.

  Sidonie.

  And he set acres upon acres of land on fire in Junacave. So much damage was caused by the fire.

  Sidonie, stop.

  He had to pay for what he did. He needed to suffer.

  Sidonie, please. STOP!

  She felt something tugging at her, but she wasn’t sure what it was.

  Come back to me, Sid. I love you. Please, stop.

  She blinked and saw Dagan. He had her face in his hands and was shaking it.

  “Can you hear me? Stop pulling from him. You’re killing him,” he said.

  Sidonie blinked again and looked over to see Mereck laying on the ground, his body lurching. His magic was gone now and she was sucking the life out of him. Immediately, she broke the connection. Mereck’s body stopped moving.

  Dagan sighed in relief then barely caught Sidonie before she collapsed to the ground.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Rhea walked on the scorched ground along the southern wall, or what was left of it. Wildfire had destroyed over two-thirds of the wall, leaving large piles of white ashes where the stone used to be. Even though the fire had been extinguished, the ground was still extremely hot in most places. She carried her shoes so they didn’t get burned and spotted Reeve walking toward her from the stables.

  “How can you walk across that?” Reeve asked when she approached him. He reached out and took her shoes, carrying them for her as they turned and walked toward the gardens. She blushed, having never had a man offer to carry her belongings for her before.

  “Heat doesn’t affect me like it does with you.” She remembered having the same conversation with Rowan in Vale.

  “I noticed you weren’t at breakfast,” he said.

  “Sidonie removed my collar this morning and I can use my full magic again. So I wanted to get an early start. There is so much to do.”

  “Did you make any progress?”

  “I was able to heal a few dozen of the sheep that were singed. A few goats, and several of the horses. But the majority were lost.” Tears slowly started to fall and she let them. Seeing the destruction was incredibly depressing.

  “Are you alright?” he asked, noticing her mood changed.

  “No, but I will be,” she said.

  “I’m here… If you’d like to talk about it. I know it must be hard to see this.” He could tell it was affecting her and he wasn’t happy to see her crying. After everything that had happened to her, and continued to happen to her, he thought she was exceptionally brave to stay in Junacave and help them.

  Rhea realized she was gazing into his gorgeous green eyes and forced herself to look away.

  “I have a lot of work to do before I leave, so I should probably return,” she said.

  “Leave? Where are you going?”

  “Once the mysta arrives and I have done all that I can do heal the land, I will have no reason to stay in Junacave.” It hurt her to say it because she had come to enjoy the castle and the people and desperately wanted to stay. But she knew that she couldn’t. She had a weakness for allowing her heart to fall too deeply and too soon. Rowan wasn’t the first man it had happened with.

  The fact that she had been able to share things with Reeve so easily during their journey to Anestas was the first hint that it was happening, again. Standing on the balcony last night, fearing for Reeve’s safety while his little sister clung to her, was further proof that she was becoming too attached to them. She had even started to dream about him and about the life they could have together if he actually cared for her. If he could, someday, love her.

  But he didn’t. And after the marriage was dissolved, Reeve and Gabby would go back to their lives and she would have to watch another person come in and take her place. She knew she wasn’t strong enough to endure that.

  “I can’t return to Anestas so I will move on, probably to somewhere in the north,” she said. She looked at the ground to avoid making eye contact with him. He noticed.

  “I’ve been thinking about that,” he said.

  “About what?” She couldn’t stop herself from looking up at him, again.

  “About your banishment. I feel responsible for it. It’s my fault that you can’t return home.”

  “Oh.” She looked away. Whatever she was hoping he would say, he hadn’t.

  “And another thing… I think we should hold off. On the visit from the mysta, I mean.”

  There it was. The words she was hoping to hear.

  “Why?” she asked, cautiously.

  “Err… For Gabby’s sake. She really likes you and after just losing our mother, I think it would be good for her to have someone to confide in.”

  It was the first thing he could think of. Telling her that he wanted to stay married to her because he thought she was the most magnificent creature he had ever met was too strong of a statement. And sayin
g that he believed fate had brought them together for a reason might make him sound desperate. His mother had always said that he had a romantic soul. But he had spent too much time taking care of his mother and sister to worry about finding love for himself. He wanted to believe that fate found love for him, instead.

  What he said wasn’t a lie, per se. His sister really was becoming attached to Rhea. In fact, he couldn’t get Gabby to stop talking about how much she liked her and how lucky Reeve was to be married to a fairy like Rhea. And how he would be a complete fool if he let her get go. But if he told Rhea the truth it would probably have scared her away. After all, why would a beautiful fairy want to stay married to someone like him?

  “For how long?” she asked. Please, say ‘forever’…

  “Uh… At least until after the Winter Ball? Gabby mentioned it a few times. The princess has been telling her about it. I’ve never been to it, but it sounds interesting. We could go together, maybe… You and I, perhaps…” He needed to stop talking. He was starting to sound like an idiot.

  She forced her face to remain calm, but her mind was whirling. She started stroking a strand of her hair without realizing it. He wanted her to stay until the ball which was months away. And more than that, he asked her to accompany him. With any luck, before the ball was over, she could show him just how happy they could be together if he would give her the chance.

  “I assume it would only be fitting for us to go together,” she said, smiling and nodding. “We are married, after all. For now… If that’s what you think is best for your sister?”

  “Yes, that would be best… for Gabby.” And me.

  He was glad that his sister had mentioned the winter ball this morning or he never would have thought about it. He handed Rhea her shoes and said goodbye to her. As he watched her walk away, he started to panic. He was able to convince her to stay until the ball, but he wouldn’t have an excuse to keep her here afterward. So that meant he had to work quickly. He only had until the Winter Ball to make Rhea fall in love with him or he would likely lose her.